This easy keto fathead dough recipe only needs 4 ingredients! It's the most versatile keto dough that can be used for pizza, bagels, cinnamon rolls, and more.
Table of Contents
- Why You'll Love It
- Easy Fathead Dough Recipe
- What Is Fathead Dough?
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Fathead Pizza Dough
- How to Make Fathead Dough
- Sticky Dough? No Problem
- How To Make Fathead Pizza
- Can Fathead Dough be Frozen?
- Recipe Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipes To Make With Fathead Dough
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Lately, everyone can't stop raving about our keto meatballs, keto peanut butter cookies, and this keto fat head dough. And for a good reason, they're all EASY, HEALTHY, and DELICIOUS!
Why You'll Love It
- You'll only need 4 simple ingredients
- Make keto pizza with fat head pizza crust
- Ready to eat in 10 minutes with just 5 minutes of prep
- Only 2g carbs in each piece!!
Saving our keto fathead dough recipe will likely be one of your best decisions today! We’ve created a keto fathead dough versatile enough to be used across many dishes such as pizza, lahmacun, cinnamon rolls, bagels, or other pastry and dough-based creations. This dough is a dream to work with. It’s soft and elastic, making it easy to shape and mold into your desired form.
It’s useful to make a large batch of fathead dough you can store in the freezer so you always have reliable dough to hand, wherever you need it! You only need a handful of minutes to both prepare and cook the dough, so get the kids involved and make family homemade pizza night a weekend treat. Containing just 1.7g of net carbs per serving, it’s hard to believe this dough is keto-friendly as it’s so pliable and delicious.
Four simple ingredients (plus salt) are all it takes to put our keto fathead dough together, and as they are all kitchen-friendly, you probably have each of them at home already. Mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, almond flour, and an egg are the essential ingredients in this dough, coming together to form a creation you’ll use across countless keto recipes.
Easy Fathead Dough Recipe
This is the only fathead dough recipe you will ever need, and making low-carb pastry doesn't have to be a struggle. It's versatile and easy to make and will become your go-to base for all keto recipes that require dough.
Kept low-carb, gluten-free, and keto-friendly using healthy ingredients like mozzarella cheese and cream cheese.
From pizza, cinnamon rolls, and pastry-based desserts to sausage rolls, flatbreads, and pot pies — this fathead dough is all you'll need.
It’s so soft and elastic that you can fold, roll, slice, or shape it into anything you like. It's great to make in a large batch and store it in the freezer when needed.
What Is Fathead Dough?
Fathead dough is a great alternative to traditional high-carb doughs when you're on a low-carb or ketogenic diet. It's low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, and keto-friendly.
Ingredients You'll Need
My fathead dough is made with just 4 simple ingredients. Check out the recipe card below for the exact amounts.
- Mozzarella Cheese: When grated and melted, mozzarella becomes lusciously molten and sticky, providing a tasty, cheesy base for our fathead dough recipe. The texture of melted mozzarella helps the dough form into a large ball that’s smooth, stretchy, and delicious when baked.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese also adds to the soft texture of the dough, which, when melted with the mozzarella, becomes loose and silky. Plain cream cheese is needed for this recipe without any added sugar, sweetener, or flavorings. This means the dough has a classic bread-like taste when baked and isn’t overpowered by unnecessary ingredients.
- Almond Flour: Both cheeses become oozy and sticky when melted, so almond flour is our choice to bind everything together and create a dough. Although almond flour has a subtle sweet nuttiness, the flavor isn’t overwhelming, and when used as a pizza base or pastry, the almond flavor is hardly noticeable.
- Egg: A large egg helps create a traditional light sand-colored dough whilst also helping bind the ingredients together. Both the yolk and white are needed, together aiding the dough in rising when baked in the oven.
- Salt: Salt adds a hint of flavor to the otherwise plain dough, and it also helps strengthen the dough as it is mixed. Only a small amount of salt is needed as this dough is versatile enough to be used in sweet and savory recipes, so you want to avoid making it too salty.
Fathead Pizza Dough
You'll be happy to know you can use this recipe to make a keto-friendly pizza. A fathead dough pizza is so simple and easy to make. It also has the same texture as real pizza dough.
Perfectly crispy and chewy, you will fall in love with this fathead pizza crust recipe. Each slice of my fathead pizza dough recipe has only 2g net carbs. This makes it a great option to add to your low-carb meal plan.
In this post, check out how to use this recipe to make the perfect keto pizza crust further down.
Looking for more low-carb pizza crusts? Another option is my cauliflower pizza crust topped with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. It's delicious!
How to Make Fathead Dough
Whipping up a batch of keto fathead dough is the work of minutes, using simple ingredients and equipment to magic a dough together. Using a microwave oven makes this recipe even easier and is an ideal way of melting the two cheeses together. Once you’ve mastered this dough recipe, feel free to play around with the ingredients, adding some dried herbs for a pizza base or a sprinkling of warm spices for sweet recipes.
- Combine cheese and flour: Mix the mozzarella cheese with the cream cheese and almond flour in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. This is only important if you’re using a microwave oven for the recipe, but if you aren’t, any mixing bowl will do.
- Microwave to melt: Microwave the mixture for 2 minutes on high, or use sous vide* for 5-7 minutes.
- Add egg and salt: Stir gently to incorporate the ingredients before adding the egg and seasoning with a little salt.
- Roll out the dough: Place the dough between two pieces of baking paper and roll it out with a rolling pin or a tall glass to your desired thickness. Lightly dust with almond flour if it’s too sticky.
- Bake the fathead dough: The fathead dough can be used according to your chosen recipe instructions. It can also be simply baked in the oven on a lined baking pan at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius) for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness, to enjoy on its own.
*Sous Vide: Prepare a water bath by filling a pot with hot water and bringing it to a gentle simmer. Place the ingredients you need to cook in a heat-proof bowl, saucepan, or zip-lock bag, and place the bowl or bag in the simmering water.
Sticky Dough? No Problem
If you are still having problems with sticky dough, these tips should solve it:
- Lightly dust the dough with almond flour while rolling it. This should allow you to shape and roll the dough to your desired thickness.
- Rub oil on your fingers and hands while you shape the dough. A little oil will stop the dough from sticking to your fingers.
- Refrigerate the dough for around 15-30 minutes to allow it to chill. This should make it less sticky and easier to shape.
How To Make Fathead Pizza
As we mentioned, this fathead pizza dough makes the perfect keto pizza crust. It will surprise you because it tastes so similar to a regular pizza.
Oven times will depend on how thin you like the crust. A thin and crispy crust should take around 7-8 minutes.
- Bake the dough. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius) until it reaches your desired consistency. It should take between 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add sauce and toppings. Spread over a low-carb sauce with no added sugar, such as my keto marinara. Add your favorite toppings, such as pepperoni and mushrooms.
- Bake the pizza. Bake for around 5 more minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) until the toppings are cooked.
Can Fathead Dough be Frozen?
Yes! That's why this is a great recipe. You can make a large batch and keep it in the freezer.
- To store in the freezer: Make the dough and form it into a large ball. Wrap it tightly in plastic, then throw it in the freezer.
- To use from frozen: When ready to use it, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw. You can then roll it out and shape it for many different recipes.
Frozen Keto Fathead Pizza Crust
Another great idea if you're a pizza lover is to bake your keto pizza crust and freeze it. Bake the crust as mentioned below without sauce or toppings, let it cool, wrap it in plastic, and freeze it.
When you're ready to make a keto pizza, add your favorite low-carb sauce and toppings, then bake.
Making Fathead Pizza using Frozen Crust
- Baking from frozen. To make your pizza using frozen fathead pizza crust, add your sauce and toppings, then bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) for around 20 minutes until crispy and delicious.
Recipe Variations
Keto Fathead Dough with Flax: Adding a spoonful of flax seeds, either whole or ground, into the fathead dough creates a wonderful speckled finish and a hint of texture. The flax also allows the dough to bind together, letting the ingredients combine to form a soft, pliable dough.
Keto Fathead Dough with Coconut Flour: Substituting almond flour with coconut flour is ideal for sweet recipes as the natural sweetness of coconut can be tasted in the final dough. This is a perfect ingredient swap when making pastries or sweet pizzas.
Keto Fathead Dough with Dried Herbs: A sprinkling of dried herbs such as basil, oregano, and rosemary enriches the dough with earthiness and pops of green. A herby dough is delicious as a pizza base, where the dough echoes the herbs used in the marinara sauce on top of a classic pizza.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Substitute The Almond Flour?
Yes, you can make this fathead dough using coconut flour as well. The ratio of almond flour to coconut flour is 4:1, so you'll need ¼ cup (50g) of coconut flour for this recipe.
You can also use other low carb flours as well. It can be made with ¼ cup (50g) of flaxseed flour, chia flour, or sesame flour.
Can I Substitute the Mozzarella?
Yes, using cheddar cheese or a combination of mozzarella and cheddar works great.
How Many Carbs Are In Fathead Dough?
Our fathead dough recipe contains just 1.7g of net carbs per serving, making it low-carb and keto-friendly. Using alternatives to typical wheat flour means carbohydrates are kept low, but the dough is still delicious and robust enough to be rolled, stretched, and baked however you wish!
How Do You Keep Fathead Dough From Sticking?
A dusting of almond flour should help prevent the fathead dough from sticking, but if you find your dough is sticking a lot, you may need to add more. Begin by adding a small amount, as too much flour can make the dough adopt a tough texture.
Why Is My Dough So Chewy?
Over-mixing dough is usually the cause of a dough that’s chewy. When combining the ingredients, try to do so slowly and gently until everything is combined, but you haven’t worked it too much in the mixing bowl.
Recipes To Make With Fathead Dough
Are you looking for more recipes that utilize my fathead dough? Try these:
- Fathead Bagels - made with just 6 ingredients and the perfect breakfast! They go perfectly spread with cream cheese or dipped in olive oil.
- Fathead Cinnamon Rolls - can you believe you can enjoy cinnamon rolls on the keto diet? These low-carb cinnamon rolls are the ultimate sweet treat and only contain 2.1 grams of net carbs each!
- Turkish Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza) - ultra-thin and crispy base topped with flavor-packed ground beef, onion, tomato, fresh herbs, and spices.
📖 Recipe
Keto Fathead Dough Recipe (4 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese grated
- 3 tablespoon Cream Cheese (1.6 oz)
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 1 large Egg
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
To Make Fathead Dough
- Mix the mozzarella cheese with the cream cheese and almond flour in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. (if you are using a microwave oven for the recipe).
- Microwave for 2 minutes on high, or use sous vide* for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir to incorporate the ingredients. Add the egg and season with salt.
- Place the dough between two pieces of baking paper, and with a rolling pin or a tall glass roll it to your desired thickness. Lightly dust with almond flour if it’s too sticky.
- Use according to your recipe instructions, or simply bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness, to enjoy it on its own.
- *Sous Vide: Prepare a water bath by filling a pot with hot water. Bring to a gentle simmer. Place the ingredients you need to cook in a heatproof bowl, saucepan, or zip-lock bag, and place the bowl or bag in the simmering water.
To Bake Fathead Dough
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking pan with baking paper.
- Place your fathead dough on the lined baking pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness.
To Make Fathead Pizza Crust
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking pan with baking paper.
- Place your pizza dough on the lined baking pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness.
- Spread your desired low carb sauce and toppings over the dough. I like to use sugar-free marinara, pepperoni, mushrooms, and mozzarella.
- Set the oven to 400°F (200°C) and bake for 5 minutes until the toppings are cooked.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is calculated based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe we provide. Erythritol and other sugar-free sweetener carbs are not included in the carb counts. Net carbohydrates are the total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber.
Copyright
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Do you add the egg whole and mix it in the fat head dough or beat it separately first
Either way will work. Just make sure it's well incorporated.
How much is ⅕ cup Cream Cheese, is it 1/4 cup or what please let me know.
Hi Bonnie, sorry that measurement is a little bit confusing. It turns out to be around 1.6 oz of cream cheese or 45 grams. Hope that helps!
quite new to keto n have been trying to find a good staple to go with my curries. I found a winner in your fat head bread. so easy to make n taste so good. I patted it with truffle olive oil n now it taste jus great!! thank you. I can think of so many things to add flavour to it ?. this recipe is a keeper ♥️
Thanks Maia, glad you enjoyed it!
Is there a tablespoon measurement on the cream cheese, as 1.6 is confusing!
Hey Daniel, I've updated the recipe to give a tbsp amount as well. 1.6 oz of cream cheese is around 3 tablespoons. Enjoy 🙂
Parchment paper is your best friend on this. I rolled dough between 2 pieces, also lined baking pan with it. Literally peeled the flattened dough from one piece of paper as I plopped it into the pan. Easy and neat!
Thanks Cathy!
That's awesome ! Thanks Cathy !
Hi Jennifer! I was checking the calories of each ingredient and I am coming up with a way higher number than 182 calories if divided by 4 servings. Can you let us know how the calories added up and if I might’ve used the wrong ingredients? My mozzarella was low-fat and part skim and it came up to 80 calories per 1/4 c. Thank you!!
Hi Carrie! The recipe makes 8 servings, and the nutritional information should be very close (depending on the brand and ingredients you are using, of course).
Question! I think I am missing something I am getting 4g carbs you show 2.5 carbs and net 1.7! I definitely like your calculations better lol
Hi Michelle! The recipe makes 8 servings, and the nutritional information should be very close (depending on the brand and ingredients you are using, of course).
Can you take a small portion and cook it in a [mini] waffle iron? Thanks
Definitely!
Hi there, it appears that the nutritional info for this recipe isn't correct. As entered into MyFitnessPal, the net carbs come out to 10.5, and the calories are at 360.
Hi! The recipe makes 8 servings, and the nutritional information should be very close (depending on the brand and ingredients you are using, of course).
Let a review also on Pinterest. This is so delicious! Made it with my 84 yo Mom who has always been addicted to her breads and pasta. I’m type 2 and trying to keep my carbs in check- this was simply a delicious way to do so!
Yes, parchment paper is a must - and so is sprinkling almond flour on each “patty” before putting the top sheet down on it as well.
I did let the mixture cool a bit before adding my egg. I was worried about the egg cooking instead of mixing in.
Thank you for the recipe!
Really glad you loved the recipe, Theresa!
What temperature should the oven be?
As a general rule of thumb, 425°F (220°C), whether using the dough as a pizza crust or flatbread. The time you bake depends on the thickness. Check the recipe card for more information!
I’m curious as to how this is so low in carbs? Everything I bought has carbs. Almond flour 2 carbs for 2 tablespoons, mozzarella cheese-2carbs for 1/4 cup, cream cheese-2 carbs for 2tbsp….
Hi Kelsey. The nutritional information will depend on which brands and ingredients you use. All the ingredients do contain carbs, but they also contain fiber, which lowers the net carb count. Remember, the recipe makes 8 servings as well, and the nutritional information is based on one serving. With all that said, fathead dough is probably the staple dough used on a low-carb or ketogenic diet.
I’m looking for a good recipe for making meat or fruit hand pies. Would this recipe to use? For fruit pies, confectioners sweetener would be sprinkled on top or a glaze used.
Thank you
Hey Phyllis, yes! Fathead dough is perfect for meat and fruit pies. Let me know if you try it.
Great recipe! Made it in our RV. Didn't have a pan to bake them in the oven so cooked them on our griddle like a pancake, with a cover over them, then flipped after a few minutes to brown on the other side. Worked great, and tasted wonderful when we made wraps with them.
Hi, can other flours be substituted for almond flour? My daughter is allergic to almonds, but I’d really like to try this recipe. Thanks
Hi Kerron! Yes, you can use coconut flour instead of almond flour. Substitute the 1 cup of almond flour for 1/4 cup of coconut flour, and you're good to go!
How many servings are in one recipe?
Hi Melanie!
This fathead dough recipe makes around 8 servings.
Your recipes are wonderful! I really like this one in particular because I like making bread. If this recipe makes 8 servings, I would assume the calories for each piece is 197 calories. Is that correct?
Hi Denise!
Thank you for the kind words. I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes.
Yes, that's correct. The recipe makes 8 servings, and the nutritional information is based on that.
I hope you enjoy it!
Are the 137 calories & 3.5 carbs for the whole recipe? I didn't see that servings were stated.
Thank you
Hi Marti!
The recipe makes 8 servings, and the nutritional information is based on that.
So, you should get 8 pieces of fathead dough, each containing 197 calories and 2g net carbs.
I hope you enjoy it!
Jennifer.
Used this for Chili cheese empanadas and cinnamon rolls…it was delicious ? very versatile!
This was VERY GOOD! My only question is the actual breakdown of calories, carbs, etc. I did the math, and it isn't my strong suit but I came up with quite a bit more for each ingredient than you. I am confused and don't want to be over on anything as I am not losing well. Thanks!
Hey Kathrene. The nutritional information does depend on the brand/ingredients you are using, but it should be quite similar.
So good! I don’t see it being keto maybe I used the wrong brand but mozzarella has quite a bit of carbs. I will definitely make again though.
Hey Kayla. The nutritional information does depend on the brand/ingredients you are using, but it should be quite similar.
Made this today with my 84 yo Mom. We are addicted! We first tried it hot, right out of the oven and then tried it warm after about 5 minutes (we split the piece each time and put some homemade jelly on it) She loves her breads and pasta and I’m trying to keep my type 2 under control (carb wise). This is great! Thank you!
Can you use a different type of flour? My daughter is allergic to almonds. Maybe rice flour?
Hi Kimberly! Yes, you can use coconut flour instead of almond flour. Substitute the 1 cup of almond flour for 1/4 cup of coconut flour, and you're good to go!
Turned out great! Not as fluffy as the picture, but still bread-like and tasted great.
My family loved this also
I made these and they were the best for a keto diet. I didn’t add the spices so that i can also use them for a dessert or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or with cream cheese and strawberries. My husband also loved them
Thanks, Miriam! I'm so glad you and your husband loved them 🙂
Definitely will try these, but wanted to know if you can substitute the Almond flour for Coconut flour. Thanks!
Hi DJ!
Yes, you can substitute the almond flour for 1/4 cup of coconut flour.
I hope you enjoy the fathead dough!
I would imagine these can be used as a pita type crust to make Gyro's. One of my favorites that I have been missing.
I’ve made these quite a few times but they are always pretty thin and don’t puff up like yours. I’m following the recipe exactly though, any thoughts?
Hi Lydia! Are you using extra-fine almond flour/almond meal?
looks delish !! I will attempt
Amazing!!! Love your recipes❣️
could you use this recipe for pierogi's?
Yes! It's the perfect dough for making low-carb and keto pierogies.
Thank you for the recipe,I made a broccoli and spinach spicy pizza. Will definitely be making more. I really enjoy getting all your recipes.
Let me start by saying that I don't comment on anything, however I really had to comment on these. They are SO good and so easy to make. I used almond meal flour (with the skins) that I save from my almond milk, but they came out wonderful just the same. They're great just plain without adding anything to them. I'm on vacation this week and planning to make and freeze a few batches for quick and easy meals when I go back to work. Thank you, thank you!!!!
Thanks for the kind words, Cee! I'm so glad you loved the fathead dough 🙂
I've been doing keto for less than a week, and am already down 5 pounds. FridayI night was usually pizza night, if we were going to do it. Dinner was lean chicken and asparagus on the grill, so i was running short on fats. I was feeling like some bread for a snack, so I tried this. It's definitely not exactly like bread, but it scratched my itch. I really enjoyed this!
How big of circle do you cut out? Meow many does this recipe make?
The recipe makes 8 servings of fathead dough. The size of your pizza crusts or pieces will depend on how big and how thin you make them.
Looks so yummy. Can I use Cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella?
Hi Tharina! Yes, this recipe works well with cheddar or a combination of cheddar/mozzarella.
If I want to make these ahead of time will I have to warm them up to maker pliable for making filled wraps with?
Hi Lizzie, they're great warmed up or cold so you don't have to heat them to use as wraps.
You have awesome delicious recipes and I want to say Thank You
One of the commenters said she used baking powder and no egg. Does this actually work?
Hi Melody! I haven't tried, but the recipe should still work substituting the egg for 1 tsp of vegetable oil mixed with 1 tsp of water and 1 tsp of baking powder. That would be for each egg, so if you multiply the ingredients you'd need to do the same for the baking powder mixture. Hope that helps.
Can you use low-fat, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese?
Hi Diane! Yes, you can!
My first ever keto pizza dough crust. So simple and satisfying. I used Kirkland almond flour, full fat cream cheese (store brand), Cracker Barrel pre-grated cheese and a gluten-free baking powder. It took 15 minutes on my crisping pizza pan that has holes in it and I pierced the dough with a fork. I let it cool slightly before putting on toppings and baked 10 minutes at 350. The edges were crispy and crunchy, the middle not as much but it had some body and tasted great, almost buttery. Will do this recipe regularly. Thanks!
I would love these recipes but I am lactose intolerance
I am not sure if there is lactose free cream cheese out there
Regards
Cheryle Matthews
Hi Cheryle! You could try making it with a lactose-free cream cheese and mozzarella. I think Philadelphia has some lactose-free varieties.
I was craving a bread and tried this recipe out. I brushed the tops of them with melted garlic butter when they came out of the oven - delicious! Thank you!
Thanks Dianne 🙂
Can I use no fat cream cheese and no fat mozzarella cheese? I’m on Weight Watchers and by substituting, it would be more Weight Watcher friendly.😋
Hi Rita! I haven't tried making fathead dough with fat-free cheese, as fat is important on keto. It should work. Let me know if you try!
Sounds Great! Can gluten-free flour replace almond flour?
Hi Janice! Yes, gluten-free flour should be fine. But make sure it's low-carb if you're following a keto diet 🙂
I made these today using super fine almond flour but they didn’t puff up like yours and the recipe only made four ( six inches round). Should I add baking powder to the recipe? Thanks Jennifer and they were still delicious!
Just made a batch of this dough. Wrapped it around breakfast sausages and baked at 450 for 5 min. Can’t stop smiling! So good. Thank you.